Justice Thomas breaks silence to hate on Yale? The Supreme Court justice broke a seven-year silence on the bench to say something that was not entirely picked up by the official transcript, which included the statement, "Well -- he did not -­- ," after a mention that lawyers for a capital defendant went to Harvard and Yale. SCOTUSBlog, which had its reporter in the courtroom, tweeted, "Thomas, J. (Yale, JD), speaks: funny at argument -- Yale degree could mean lawyer is incompetent, not competent, capital trial counsel." If that was, in fact, the theme of the joke, it wouldn't be completely out of character. Thomas, who graduated from Yale, has said the value of the degree he received was "discounted" by the school's affirmative action policy.

Grambling State marching band returns to inauguration: Some 202 members of the 250-person marching band will be traveling this weekend by bus from Grambling, La., just as they did for President Obama's first inauguration, Diverse Issues in Higher Education reports. "We'd like to think that it was something unique in the (first) performance that's allowing us to come back for a second time," band director Larry Pannell says. "We're just elated and pleased that we have an opportunity to go back."

Four charged in Illinois double slaying: Police say the strangulation and attempted dismemberment of two Illinois men, allegedly at the hands of four young adults, is one of the most heinous cases they've seen. While the two victims were black and the four suspects are white, the state's attorney's office said there is no information at this point that indicates race was a factor in the killings.